Ding Xu

The Xu lab studies one of the most fascinating biomacromolecules called heparan sulfate. Heparan sulfate is a highly negatively charged unbranched polysaccharide only found in animals. With its complex structure, heparan sulfate performs its biological functions by binding to hundreds of heparan sulfate-binding proteins with different specificities and affinities. By binding to heparan sulfate, heparan sulfate-binding proteins find a new way to alter their conformations and oligomeric states, their localization at the cell membrane and in the extracellular matrix, and how they interact with other binding partners. Our lab employs a highly multidisciplinary approach to investigate the novel functions of heparan sulfate in various bone and cartilage diseases such as osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. In these diseases, many heparan sulfate-binding proteins play key pathophysiological roles and are regarded as important drug targets (including receptors, cytokines, chemokines and enzymes). The dependence of these proteins on heparan sulfate for normal function suggests that disrupting heparan sulfate-protein interaction could be an effective means to block the activity of these proteins. Our lab is engaged in developing novel oligosaccharide-based and monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics to target key heparan sulfate-protein interactions.